Shrewsbury student creates 'assassination list'

Friday

Jan 17, 2014 at 4:42 PM

By Elaine Thompson TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

SHREWSBURY — An 11-year-old sixth-grader at Sherwood Middle School had a list labeled "assassination list" containing the names of eight fellow students, police and school officials confirmed today. The student also had a second, unlabeled list with the names of five additional students.

"The matter was thoroughly investigated by our school resource officer in cooperation with the school. As a result, we're confident no credible threat exists and the students are safe," Police Chief James Hester said in a telephone interview Friday.

The chief said the student apparently showed the list, which was on his iPad, to another student, who told his parent. The parent contacted the school Thursday morning.

"The motivation is unknown, and it appears to be a poor choice on the student's part," Chief Hester said.

Officer Mark Hester, resource officer at the high school, handled the investigation. The chief said the school has been in contact with the parents of the students whose names were on the list.

After receiving a call from a reporter, Superintendent Joseph M. Sawyer and Sherwood Middle School Principal Jane O. Lizotte released a written statement Friday afternoon.

"While this situation turned out to be nothing more than an immature action by a sixth-grader, the Sherwood Middle School administration responded to the initial report of a concern swiftly and seriously in order to ensure the safety of the school's students and staff, and then communicated personally with those involved to provide information and reassurance," Mr. Sawyer said in the emailed statement. "I was pleased, but not surprised that parents contacted expressed their appreciation and confidence in the school leadership's response."

In her email to all parents, Ms. Lizotte said that "after speaking with the child who created the document and his parents, speaking with other students, and consulting with school counseling and psychology staff as well as a school resource police officer, we determined that there was not a threat to anyone's safety."

She said the student demonstrated very poor judgment and the school is taking appropriate steps to address the issue seriously and with the cooperation of the student's family, who are also upset. She said student confidentiality prohibits her from sharing specifics. Ms. Lizotte said families were also told that children would be provided with support, if needed.

Superintendent Sawyer declined to say if the student had been removed from the school and if the iPad he used belongs to Sherwood.

Ms. Lizotte said school officials contacted the families of each student whose name was on the "assassination list" as well as the families of the five other students whose names were on the untitled list in the document to make them aware of the situation. Staff members were informed as needed, she said in the email.

Ms. Lizotte said she would not typically send a whole-school communication to address an issue that had been addressed with those affected. She did so, however, after becoming aware that a parent of one of the students had contacted the media.

"I am confident that our school remains a very safe place, and we will continue to take any potentially problematic situations brought to our attention seriously and to respond using our best professional judgment," she wrote in the email.

Contact Elaine Thompson at elaine.thompson@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @EThompsonTG.